September 2025
Vashti Sawtelle
Associate Professor in Lyman Briggs College and the Department of Physics & Astronomy.
Vashti Sawtelle is a physics education researcher who studies how learning environments support (or inhibit) students from diverse backgrounds in their learning of physics. Co-director of the Physics Education Research Lab at MSU, she focuses her work on supporting community college transfer students to transition to the university and understanding the role classroom environments have to play in creating supportive learning environments for all students.
Dr. Sawtelle served as program director for the initial external funding for the Transfer Experience Mentoring Program Opportunity (TEMPO) program through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She continues to support transfer students with her work with the National Science Foundation sponsored Natural Science Transfer Scholars.
October 2025
Frank "Erin" Dachille
Frank “Erin” Dachille is a Ph.D. Candidate in the physics education research group at MSU and former transfer student. Erin discovered his passion for research and working with transfer students with undergraduate research advisor and mentor, Prof. Gina Quan.
Erin currently works with Professor Vashti Sawtelle and in partnership with the Transfer Student Success Center (TSSC), helped co-design the Transfer Experience Mentoring Program Opportunity (TEMPO). TEMPO is a program made to be the bridge between community college and MSU by supporting students through sharing experiences, navigating the transition, and building community. Mentors support mentees with goal setting, career pathways, psychological and emotional support, and being a transfer role model.
Erin's dissertation work explores transfer sense of belonging to better understand how transfer students can feel more “at home” in a new academic and social community. He is also interested in seeing how institutions can intentionally create structures to support this process. Erin's hope is to showcase transfer students and a transfer sense of belonging as not only an important feeling, but also as a process of both self-empowerment and structural change. We appreciate the work Erin has done and continues to do in support of transfer students!
November 2025
Dr. Erica Tobe
Dr. Tobe is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies and an Extension Specialist with Michigan State University Extension’s Financial and Homeownership Education team. Since 2011, she has taught a range of undergraduate personal finance courses, including Introduction to Financial Literacy (HDFS 138), Personal Finance (HDFS 238), and Applied Financial Literacy (HDFS 438). Dr. Tobe also co-leads MSU’s collegiate financial literacy efforts, notably through Go for the Green—a collaborative initiative with MSU departments and the MSU Federal Credit Union that supports financial wellness among college students.
As an Extension Specialist, she provides statewide leadership for financial and homeownership education programs and serves as a certified HUD housing counselor, offering community-based education to Michigan residents. In addition to her teaching and outreach, Dr. Tobe is the principal investigator for her team’s grant projects, overseeing research and evaluation efforts that inform and strengthen financial education programming.
During the fall semester Dr. Tobe partnered with the Transfer Student Success Center staff to pilot a capstone project with students in HDFS 438 to determine key financial literacy resources for transfer students. This project would equip transfer students with essential financial literacy tools as they transition to MSU and prepare for life post-graduation.
We recognize Dr. Tobe for her commitment to empowering transfer students through practical, accessible financial education and for her leadership in setting up MSU students for financial success through the Go for the Green initiative.
January 2026
Ashley Hewlett-Lemke
Since 2022, Ashley Hewlett-Lemke (she/her/hers) has been excited to serve our transfer students as the Program Coordinator for TSSC and advisor for the Transfer Student Advisory Board. She was a transfer student to MSU in January of 2005 from Washtenaw Community College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Humanities from the College of Arts and Letters in 2007. She returned to MSU as a faculty member in 2011 and taught English as a Second Language with our English Language Learners at MSU.
When she’s not on campus, she’s bringing joy (or torment?) to her cat/house panther Desi with a laser-pointer toy, picking up miniature race cars scattered around her living room, and playing hide-and-go-seek with her twin four-year-old velociraptors, better known as Connor and Grayson.
Ask her about studying abroad (Ecuador, 2006), living on campus, and good vegetarian food in the Greater Lansing Area. And of course, connect with her at our events!
February 2026
Jessica Gray
Jessica Gray is the Student Wellness Coordinator for the Broad College of Business at Michigan State University, where she is passionate about creating supportive, accessible spaces that help students thrive both personally and academically. Her work focuses on reducing barriers to success and building a strong culture of care across the Broad community.
Jessica leads initiatives that support students’ basic needs and overall well-being, including the development of the Broad Care Center, a resource hub that provides free personal hygiene, household, and essential items. Through this work, she strives to ensure every student feels supported, seen, and able to focus on their goals without added stress.
Beyond resources, Jessica designs programs and events that foster connection, belonging, and balance, creating meaningful opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to come together. She is especially passionate about normalizing help-seeking and making wellness an everyday part of the student experience.
Jessica is committed to expanding holistic wellness efforts so every student feels empowered, supported, and at home at MSU.
Kara Swain
Kara Swain is the Food Bank Coordinator with the MSU Food Bank and Basic Needs Program and Chair of the Hunger Free and Basic Needs Task Force, where she leads campus efforts to reduce food insecurity and expand equitable access to basic needs for students.
A proud Spartan and first-generation college student, Kara transferred from Lansing Community College to Michigan State University in 2016 and earned her undergraduate degree in Sociology. Having navigated the transfer process herself, Kara understands the challenges students often face when transitioning from other colleges or universities to MSU, from learning new systems to finding community and support. In her role, she works intentionally to connect with transfer students, empowering them with information, resources, and encouragement to help make their transition smoother and more comfortable.
Kara’s approach to student support is grounded in the belief that we are all human before we are scholars or professionals, and that students cannot thrive academically without their basic needs being met. Her work is rooted in social justice and lived experience, with a focus on reducing barriers, building community, and breaking down stigma around asking for help. Kara is currently enrolled in the MSU Master of Social Work (MSW) program and is working toward becoming a clinical social worker.
March 2026
Ryan LaBarge
Ryan LaBarge is a Financial Education Specialist with Michigan State University Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU) working directly with MSU students through financial education sessions with various groups on campus. Sessions highlight financial concepts of budgeting, credit, investing, student loans, etc. creating a comfortable space for students to ask questions and learn concepts that will empower them in their financial decision making.
Ryan specifically has helped the Transfer Student Success Center through MSUFCU’s partnership with Go for the Green. This partnership has allowed Ryan to better support transfer students through various table events, in-person sessions, online webinars, and creating scholarship opportunities through resource fairs.
Ryan prides himself on putting transfer students in the best possible financial situation by providing financial resources through Go for the Green events and directly through MSUFCU’s financial literacy Financial 4.0.
April 2026
Holly Flynn
Holly Flynn is the head of Undergraduate and Community Engagement at MSU Libraries. As a former first-gen student herself, Holly is passionate about helping transfer students navigate the complexities of one of the largest research libraries in North America.
Holly works with the Transfer Student Success Center in a number of ways, from tabling at orientation through offering library study rooms for transfer students during finals week. In between, she is a member of the Go for the Green team, a committee of dedicated individuals on campus who plan several events in the library each year around financial literacy. Thanks to the generous support of MSU Financial Credit Union, the library is able to award eight $500 scholarships per year.
Holly’s work in the library is centered around creating engaging events and exhibits, which speak to the Libraries’ strategic plan of creating “welcoming spaces where everyone can engage, work, discover, and create.” As part of the Libraries’ reference team, Holly helps undergraduates with their research by helping them find quality resources. She also helps undergraduates save money by searching the catalog for their textbooks. The library collection contains over 2,600 textbooks for over 1,000 MSU courses!
Parts of this article were originally posted on the Office of Undergraduate Education website.
